Jonathan Choti
- (He/Him)
- chotijon@msu.edu
- B-Wells Hall 380B
- Associate Professor
- Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures
Biography
Ph.D. in Linguistics (2015), Michigan State University (MSU); M.A. in English Language and Linguistics (1998) and B.A. in English and Swahili Linguistics (1993), Egerton University, Kenya. Jonathan Choti is an Associate Professor of African Languages and Cultures. He teaches Swahili language classes and several courses focused on African cultures. He is also the faculty leader of a 6-week summer education broad program known as Sustainable Community Development in Tanzania. He is affiliated to a couple of professional organizations, namely the Association of Contemporary African Linguistics (ACAL), National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL), African Language Teachers Association (ALTA), Kenya Scholars and Studies Association (KESSA), and Chama cha Ukuzaji wa Kiswahili Duniani/Global Association for the Promotion of Swahili (ChAUKIDU). Choti’s research interests focus on the phonology and morphology of Bantu languages, the pedagogy of minority languages, gender and sexuality in Africa, and language documentation.
Works
Excellence Awards
- Mid-Michigan Spartans Quality in Undergraduate Teaching Award
- Excellence Award in Interdisciplinary Scholarship
- Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award
- Inspiration Award for Professional Achievement
- MSU Award for Outstanding Service to Education Abroad
Fellowships & Grants
- College of Arts and Letters Epistemic Justice Fellowship
- Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen) Faculty Fellowship
- Honors College Faculty Fellowship
- College of Arts and Letters Engaged Pedagogy and Programming Award
- College of Ats and Letters Inclusive Pedagogy Fellowship
- Lilly Teaching Fellowship
- Adams Academy Fellowship
- Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen) Strategic Partnership Grant
- Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Fellowship
- Alliance for African Partnership Faculty Global Engagement Fund
- MSU Libraries Open Educational Resources Grant
- Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant
- RCAH’s Network for Global Engagement Grant
- International Studies and Programs Special Foreign Travel Fund
- Mozilla Responsible Computing Challenge (RCC) Grant
- Alliance for African Partnership Transforming Institutions Strategic Planning Grant
Books
- Sibanda, G., Ngonyani, D., Choti, J. and Biersteker, A., eds. (2022). Descriptive and Theoretical Approaches to African Linguistics: Selected papers from the 49th Annual Conference on African Linguistics. Berlin: Language Science Press (https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/306)
Chapters in Refereed Books
- Choti, J. (2025). “Nasal Prefix Segmental Processes [in Bantu Languages]”. In Lutz Marten, Ellen Hurst-Harosh, Nancy C. Kula, and Jochen Zeller, eds. The Oxford Guide to the Bantu Languages. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
- Choti, J. (2022). “The augment in Ekegusii and Haya”. In Sibanda, G., Ngonyani, D., Choti, J., and Biersteker, A., eds. 48-72. Descriptive and Theoretical Approaches to African Linguistics: Selected papers from the 49th Annual Conference on African Linguistics. Berlin. Language Science Press.
- Choti, J. (2015). “Phonological asymmetries of Bantu nasal prefixes”. In Kramer, Ruth et al, 37-51. Selected Proceedings of the 44th Annual Conference on African Linguistics. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project.
Gallery
College of Arts & Letters News
- Four MSU Faculty Honored with Fintz Award for Teaching ExcellenceCollege of Arts & Letters
April 20, 2026Four College of Arts & Letters faculty have been selected as this year’s recipients of the Fintz Award for Teaching Excellence in the Arts and Humanities in recognition of their exemplary Integrative Arts and Humanities (IAH) instruction. Presented each spring by the […] Read Now →
- MSU Faculty Partner with University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Advance Community-Engaged LearningCollege of Arts & Letters
March 16, 2026During Michigan State University’s 2026 spring break, two MSU faculty members traveled more than 7,800 miles to collaborate with colleagues at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) in Tanzania, leading a workshop focused on strengthening connections between universities and […] Read Now →
- Faculty and Students Engage in Cross-Cultural Teaching and Learning Through COIL ProgramCollege of Arts & Letters
March 12, 2026Four College of Arts & Letters faculty members are part of the third cohort of the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Faculty Fellows Program-Africa, pairing them with faculty from an African country with the goal of engaging students in meaningful global […] Read Now →
- Faculty Awarded Grant to Advance Community-Engaged Research and Women’s Empowerment in TanzaniaCollege of Arts & Letters
November 21, 2025A Strategic Partnership Grant from MSU’s Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen) will help strengthen the cross-institutional collaboration between Michigan State University and the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Tanzania, focusing on gender, environment, and […] Read Now →
- Professor Jonathan Choti Elected President of the Kenya Scholars and Studies AssociationCollege of Arts & Letters
September 25, 2025Jonathan Choti, Associate Professor of African Languages and Cultures in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures at Michigan State University, was elected President of the Kenya Scholars and Studies Association (KESSA), a professional organization that draws […] Read Now →
SPARTANS WILL | © Michigan State University